(M.M.25) oh, baby?!

Welcome back to an (exciting) edition of Monday Mamalogues:

'linking up to share the beauty and breakdowns of motherhood'.

Isn't it amazing how one simple (extra) blue line can change your entire world?!

I wonder how many of us have looked at these pregnancy tests with a mixture of fear + hope, excitement + panic, heartbreak + joy... to see what answer will appear there.

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Soooo.. remember a few weeks ago when I was all like 'wish I could blame my extra chubby feeling lately on being pregnant.. but I'm NOT!'... and how tired I've been lately, and how my iron must be low?

 Well the joke was on me... I was/am freakin' pregnant after all!!

I know, right?

Total craziness.

We really must have got into the crazy sauce here.. because that baker Ben snuck another bun in the oven.

I can't even begin to tell you how UNLIKELY this 'should' have been.

It's like being hit by lightning, three times in a row...

(Not that I'm comparing our kids to lightning, though they do have a way of lighting up our life!).

So yes, it was a real shock for us.

Especially since we were so convinced we were done at two.

In fact, when my family had recently asked us if we wanted more I had chuckled: "Pfffff, no, unless God has a sense of humour!"

Well, the heavens are laughing.. much like I was when I saw this test result (granted, mine was more of a maniacal nervous cackle).

Ben may still be rocking in a corner somewhere... I'm not too sure.

But don't get me wrong, this is not an accident .. I could never call a precious soul that.

This is a wild, happy, crazy surprise that's going to teach us afresh to depend on God for the grace to grow through each new moment!

 Granted, I may be looking a lil' green in the process.

You may recall that babies don't like me.. and try to destroy me from the inside out.

I keep trying to yell down at my tummy "SYMBIOTIC relationship, ok??!!  Not parasitic.. stop trying to wreck me here".  I still have the health card picture from my last pregnancy to show my zombie face with blood shot eyes!  Thankfully the little magic pill Diclectin has managed to keep me holding the food down each pregnancy.

Most days still feel like I've had one too many spins on the carnival tilt-a-whirl.

I also just want to sleep, all day, every day.

Not really an option of course.
But I must say that Ben is being an ACE husband around here!

Oh, did I mention I'm two months along?

I even got to hear the heartbeat already!.. and see the lil' bean with hands and feet waving at me (out of their armpits - picture this).

I am excited to have the same midwives back, they delivered both Azriel + Hudson!

 So here we are.

Two years between each child basically.

A full, wild house of blessing and breakdowns!

I probably won't be documenting this pregnancy with a walk down the produce aisle like I did with our 'womb-fruit' Hudson.  But I'll keep you updated along the way.

Now you know why I haven't had the energy to be extra creative lately...

I'm busy making a masterpiece! 

So, the secret is out!

(Although I did dream of just wearing this t-shirt around as an announcement).

Ha, now I want a unicorn.  But I'll settle for a healthy boy or girl.

In all seriousness though, our family would appreciate your prayers.

Heath for baby, energy for mama, real employment for daddy.

Yep, that would be awesome sauce.

Glowingly yours,

Mel ;o)

SHOP: paint dipped, wood pendants!

I still have a few of these geometric + gold pendants left!

Thought I better throw them in the SHOP for you lovelies to get your hands on.

They are light-weight wooden 'coins' just over an inch wide.

Here's what's left:

Brown wire necklace:

2 - turquoise pendants.

1- orange pendant

1- pink pendant

Red wire necklace:

2 - red pendants

2 - cream pendants

1 - orange pendant 

Since these are the last of their kind.. I'll do a special of $20 PayPal . (FREE shipping).

I'll keep it updated here for availability too.

Holler: needleandnestdesign@live.com

Happy shopping friends!

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)

here + there.

sailboats + sunspots.

simpler days + pioneer ways.

little cuties + little chapels.

summer blue eyes.

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A few shots from our recent outing with friends to a Pioneer Village this past weekend.

I was hoping to throw in some other shots here too.. beauty sunsets of late, steeping tea, boring daily tid-bits... but yeah, my flash drive got all grumpy!

I believe it was about this time last week I was moaning on about that wretched heat wave.

Well, today I enjoyed a warm pair of socks, many delicious layers of clothing and a hot tea in my hand to welcome this refreshing cool snap of breezy goodness!  What's happening in your area this week?

Most days this summer we're still trying to find little adventures.

Parks, road trips, visiting friends.

Still working part-time too!

This wee blog feels rather neglected, but I'm ok with that for now.

Nothing 'personal' of course.... you guys rock!

For those of you who still check in and journey with us, I'm delighted to have you here.

I hope to feel a bit more *creative* again soon - and miss it's presence in my life/blog.

Lastly, I skipped Monday Mamalogues this week - for those who want to link up - I WILL be doing it this coming Monday... with a bit of wild news to share too.

Stay tuned friends. 

Happy days to you and yours,

Mel ;o)

summer sewing flashback:

Hello there you lovelies,

In the spirit of 'summer reruns' I bring you this sweet summer sewing roundup.

A few simple projects to beat the heat, and you'll look real... neat.

(Now, if you're a die-hard follower for more than a year - you've already seen these, but feel free to click on any project you may want to be inspired by afresh!)

I bring you: shorts/shirts/skirts upcycling fun... with LACE of course.

Lace edged shorts.

Two Lace Scarves into shirt.

Lace curtain into maxi skirt.

Happy sewing friends,

Mel ;o)

salty + sweet.

It's rare that I put our daughter to bed.

Ben and I usually 'tag-team' so I put lil' Hudson to bed.

Tonight was one of those sweet nights where I got to tuck her in too, though.

We snuggled in the cool covers, and I asked her:

"What was your favourite part of today?

Was it the beach we went to.. and splashed in the water?

The fries we got on the way home?

The nap... and then the fun afternoon at your friends house splashing in the yard?

The strawberry dessert after dinner with mama,

or running in the sprinkler with dad?

The story before bed?"

...

As expected, her response was:

"..the FRIES!".

quickly followed by:
"you're my favourite part of my day, cuz you're my best mommy".

<Melt>

 So we thanked God for sunny days and warm beaches,

good friends and yummy fries,

 and the LOVE that He has poured into our family.

...

oh, and this sweet sweet delicious cool rain that has finally soaked our sun parched lawns and gardens... and filled this stuffy house with cool breezes!  Heavenly!

Happy weekend'ing friends,

Mel ;o)

hot mama!

Well stick a fork in me... because I am done.

Actually it kind of feels like someone jammed a fork in my ear and scrambled my brains up a bit, what with this unrelenting heat wave of a week we've had here.

So what better time to check in with you lovelies, than when I'm all sticky and grumpy, right??

Seriously, I am an Autumn girl to the core.

I really try to *pretend* to suffer through summer... without complaining much, but who are we kidding?  I'm drained of all creative energy, want to flop around the house like a forgotten lump of porridge and get short tempered with the kids (who are just as crabby).

So yes, I do whine, complain and bemoan about this heat wave.

I've tried to spare you that giant dose of grumpy cakes, hence, my absence here! har har.

A few of our go-to 'coping mechanisms' for this season include:

 Blending up crazy amount of our plucked strawberries into smoothies.

I'm totally plundering Ben's freezer stash for future 'jam' and making smoothies 24/7.

We also live off those pure fruit freezies.  And while I'd gladly scoop out a bed in a tub of ice cream, it does appear that I am becoming lactose intolerant.. ho-hum. 

 That boy... and his big sis, love the water.  We finally took them to a nearby beach this week.. and they loved it too.  Normally we just soak around in the kiddie pool here... or the tub when it's too stifling outside.

Lastly, we live like vampires.

All day the curtains are drawn, windows sealed tight.. so it's at least a warm 28 C/85 F in here.

I wish the night's were cooler lately... that's when we fling open all the windows to catch a lick of fresh air after being sealed in with babies and cat litter all day.

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So yes, we have air conditioners in our bedrooms - thank God.  Hence, my bedtime is averaging between 8:30-9pm because I'm just a crazy party animal.

 I really do miss being a productive person.

I miss my creative projects, my artistic outlets... my desire for any of those things.

Once this heat wave passes I may have a fighting chance again.

For now, I remain a depleted mess of laziness - with a sweaty nose.

How's the summer treating you friends?

Mel ;o)

(M.M.24) first comes love.

Welcome back to Monday Mamalogues,

linking up to share the beauty and breakdowns of motherhood.

Hello there lovelies, bear with me as I get a bit mushy, sentimental... or something like that.  Again.

That boy.  No, not the little one in front.

That guy, the one I married.

In this stage of life - with the cute kids crammed in between us - it can get easy to lose sight of each other.  I think at any stage of life there's always things that want to get in the 'way' of truly seeing/being with your partner.

Work.

Schedules.

Hobbies.

Stresses.

 T.V.

Like any relationship, it's either growing or shrinking according to how intentional we are about it. 

Most afternoons (during nap time) you'll find my guy and I trying to catch some 'us' time over tea, reading and talking together (if I'm not passed out on the couch from the heat of the summer).

Most evenings you'll drive by our house and see us perched out on the front step (the illusion of 'getting out' while the kids are in bed)... we chat, tease, discuss, and pelt each other with crab apples from the tree.

I really do love that bearded baker guy.

He has all my respect and admiration, especially as I see him growing in grace and a God-ward heart.  I want to be more like him, but... less facial hair.

The more time I spend with him, the more I want to spend with him.

I think we 'owe' it to our kids to ignore them occasionally.

You know, to make sure we aren't always ignoring our partner.

Give the kids some 'quiet play time' or pop a video in.. or tie them to a chair.

Then turn off the phone, t.v's, pagers... all the distractions and just be with your love.

You may just start giggling like you used to when you first started dating... and stuff.

How do you keep your partner in sight in your daily chaos?

mama Mel ;o)

sweetness + squeezes.

Yes friends, as you can see, our gal Azriel has mastered the 'choke-hold' hug for her little victim brother Hudson.  You may recall she started practicing this affection-attack from a real early start.

"I love you sooo much I just want to squeeze you to death!"... literally.

Mel ;o)

here + there.

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Hello out there lovelies!  I've been terribly negligent of you haven't I?  I thought I better pop by the nest here and let you know we're still alive... and soaking up this summer.

The flower gardens are all a-bust around here, bursting their colours from each petal.

Azriel still wants to pluck one for me every day too... just like last summer.

(The cats still want to eat them and barf all over the floor too.. lovely). 

This past weekend we had a great time hosting our first 'backyard neighbourhood bbq'.  Ben did a great job on the meal (over the heat of the bbq) while we all chatted with our friendly neighbours, and watched the kids squeal through the kiddie pool and play games together.

I hope we can host more of these in the future, nice neighbours are a blessing!

The next day my older sis hosted a family get together/bbq out at her place... so more fun was had in the sun.

Speaking of sun... this heat/humidity is still leaving me pretty wilted.  I'm such a wuss.

Wrangling kids just adds to that level of depletion too - since our lil' guy is totally at the stage of wanting to climb/crawl up/over anything that could mean imminent harm to him!  Gah!

Or, if he's not ripping my fabric hoops off the wall - he's whipping every.single.toy off the toy shelf.

Yah, fun times.

Ok, so that's my lil' rant on where we've been lately.

I'll still be infrequent around these parts... but you know, stuff is happening.

 Soooo I bid you toodles for now!

Hope you and your loved ones are keeping well,

hot sticky hugs to you all.

Mel ;o)

summer.time.

 

Well lovelies, summer is really, truly, actually here it seems!

Just two days ago I was saying how lovely and cool it was.. and bam, we got hit with the heat wave rippling across North America.  ick.

Today I felt like an absolute zombie... and thanks to my amazing Ben who took charge of the house/kids/meal, I was able to loaf around bemoaning my lethargic condition (low iron issues I figure).  I hope to bounce back quickly since there's a lot of summer to be enjoying!

You may notice things getting a bit quieter on this front too.  While we're all out and about, who has time to write/read blogs... amiright?  I'll post the usual bits... and whatever else may cross my creative path, but just fewer times a week, likely.

Enjoy the vacation friends!

Have a fantastic summer (or, um.. winter if you're the flip side)!

See you around I hope,

mel ;o)

here + there.

buddies + bruschetta.

caught berry red handed.

girls night + music fest.

jammin' uncle + dancin' Azriel.

family feasting + frisbee fun.

silent evening of sewing.

cafe date with my guys.

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Another week, another peek at some of the moments in/around our nest.

It's been a fun, full one had here!

Summer time is BBQ time with friends,

splashing in the kiddie pool,

sipping sweet drinks at cafes,

and all the usual things of family life too. 

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I've been almost giddy with this glorious cooler spell of weather we've had here.

The necessity for layers just thrills my soul!

Even while at a concert with my gal pals to hear this guy... we were desperate for the warmth of a hot chocolate - so I disappeared for five days just to find us all one!  (Food lines at free outdoor concerts are a lesson in patience).

 The rest of the holiday weekend was spent with family and church friends, and having beautifully synchronised huge naps with the kids... love that!

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I haven't been feeling really *creative* lately - which for me, is like totally crazy.  I think working part time and filling the other days with every thing else has tapped that energy out a bit.

So just sitting for a session of sewing the other night was a fun boost.

I feel like I need to just keep sewing light, loose skirts...

... cuz, um... I feel really *pudgy* lately.

Like, suddenly all my cavalier snacking sessions and lack of any real 'cardio' has caught up with me.  I really wish I was pregnant.. just so I could blame this 6months gut on something other than me!  (Yeah, I'm not, thanks).

So anyway, there's my little girly-self-loathing-body-shaming morsel for you.. I'm not often focused on such a superficial concern, but I really just want my clothes to fit properly again!

Somebody hold me accountable to pass on the chocolate!

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Ok, that's where my head is at lately...

How's yours spinning out there?

Mel ;o)